The Island
by MidNiteRamblings
Summary: Two girls, alone the night the world ends. On the complete opposite side of the country from home, how will Bella and her Irish twin Alice get to the island and safety. One rule has kept them alive: Watch each others' back. When a handsome stranger finds them, the choices they make could save them all; or kill the sisters before they can find their loved ones. AU, AH, canon
1. Chapter 1

The fact that I am posting this here, on a fanfiction site, says it all folks. If you recognize it, it is not mine.

_Bella_

"It's hot."

"Thank you Captain Obvious." It's Missouri in June. Well, I think it's June. At least I'm certain we're in Missouri. Time got away from me at some point over the winter. We were holed up in a basement for a few weeks. I am certain we lost at least a few days, if not longer. With most highway and street signs intact, I had a good idea of where we were.

Now we are heading vaguely North West, destination Grandpa Swan's island. The island was once my grandpas pride and joy. He had bought it in share with a group of high school friends. As his buddies used the island less and less, he was able to purchase larger pieces of the property, he spent nearly forty years collecting the deeds. He had finally claimed the last just before his sixtieth birthday. A car accident claimed his life, and tore our family apart, just five years later. Partially completed renovations had fallen to my father, who rarely had time off from work. He detested using vacation time and entrusting his beloved town to "Thing One" and "Thing Two". A private nickname he'd used for his nearly incompetent deputies had always made Alice giggle.

Though we had a specific destination in mind, it was best to avoid cities and major roads. After the world ended, densely populated areas were a death sentence. So we stuck to small towns and back roads. Specific routes and plans always backfired. It had taken us just over two years to get this far. Our journey started in Jacksonville, Florida. Sometimes I felt like we were no closer to home, to our father, than we were the night the shit hit the fan.

"No, I mean, it's ridiculously hot. You're still wearing long sleeves and pants. How are you not burning up?" Alice continued. At five foot three to my five foot ten, we Swan sisters make quite the striking pair. While Alice is petite, curvy, and cute; I'm tall, athletic, and snarky.

"I am more comfortable this way. Keeps the sun off my skin." While our height difference is pronounced, we share dark brown hair and eyes we inherited from our father. Our mother passed on her smile and fair skin. Skin fair enough to burn in dead winter.

Alice has an answer for everything, "Sunscreen, duh." I am saved from having to change right here and slather up by a rustling in the over grown weeds to the left of the county road we're following.

Anxiously, we wait for further movement. Years on the road has trained us to be hyper aware of our surroundings. Death could come at any moment, and we could not afford a single mistake. After several minutes pass we begin moving again. By unspoken agreement, we remain quiet and pick up the pace. We've made good progress over the past few weeks. Nonetheless, exhausted doesn't even begin to describe the way we feel. So Ali convinced me to find a place to rest for a few days. Can't say she really had to twist my arm, we've gathered enough to last a few days at least. I felt like I could sleep for years.

A few hours of intermittent jogging and walking later, we found ourselves near the end of County Rd 240. "Hmm," Alice mused, "I have a good feeling about this place." Standing at the start of a long gravel driveway, I stared dubiously at the rundown double-wide trailer nestled deeply in the foliage about a half mile away. Mostly hidden from the road, we would have missed it entirely if we hadn't been walking. Weeds had grown over either side of the driveway, the mailbox had fallen over and lay in the grass, Alice had stopped and was staring at the faded letters on the side of the metal post box. Spooner. The Spooner's had lived here, before the world ended.

As much as I wanted to continue down the road in the hopes of a more comfortable place to stay, I had learned not to ignore my sister's feelings. Her hit and miss precognition had saved our lives more often than not.

"It doesn't look like anyone has been here in a while. That could be a good thing. Let's check it out." I drew my pistol and checked the clip. Only five shots left. I harnessed the gun, leaving my vest open so I could access it quickly.

Gripping my trusty aluminum baseball bat tightly with both hands, I led the way onto the old wooden deck. Ali brought up the rear with a crowbar in one hand, her other hand hooked through the back of my jeans. This way, back to back, we had eyes everywhere.

_Clack clack, clik clack_

The sound causes me to jump and spin, Alice moves in reaction behind me, sliding her left foot back where my right moved forward. The action turns her as I face the threat, allowing her to keep her back to me, she is able to continue keeping an eye on our surroundings while I assess the danger.

"It's just a dog." I mutter over my shoulder, keeping both eyes on the giant in front of me. I feel Ali relax infinitesimally behind me. The dog stares at me, beady eyes contemplating my fate as he glares up at me. I was enthralled, he was absolutely beautiful. With a head as big as mine, and long lean muscles, this gargantuan was a beautiful specimen of Rottweiler. His short fur was ratty and matted in places and he sported a few scars that spoke of a tough life, but his posture and strength spoke of a greater character than most of the humans I'd encountered in the last two years. His intelligent eyes widened slightly at the sound of my voice, his ears perking at the noise.

Then he made his move. With two leaps, he was in front of me. He jumped; both paws landing on my shoulders as he licked my _entire_ face in one go. Standing on his hind legs, with his paws on me he was able to look directly into my eyes and give me a huge, slobbery, doggy grin. Leaning as far back as I could, I glared at the heavy beast while Alice snickered behind me. "Get off!" I gasped, pushing at him even as he jumped down, circling me to maul Alice. At least she had the good sense to kneel down and give him easy access. I wipe my face on my sleeve as the dog licks the back of Alice's head, knocking off her hat and causing her short hair to stick up in crazy spikes.

Alice was laughing; her smile reminding me of Renee. "I can't believe you yelped! He's just a big baby! Such a good boy, aren't ya?" She continued in that weird dog speak people use when talking to the furry creatures as she patted him happily. The dog continues to circle Alice, wagging his whole body along with his long thick tail. That tails whips against my legs while the dog and Ali become fast friends.

"I did not yelp." I denied under my breath, as my eyes scanned the trees in all directions. This little meeting could have attracted unwanted attention.

Alice, unsurprisingly, is paying no mind. "What should we call him?"

"Oh Ali, we can't keep him!" Camping in the woods with no protection sucks. Camping in the woods with a dog that may or may not start barking at any moment and bring a bunch of Zeds down on us? Nuh-uh.

Then again, he would be a very effective warning system. In a pinch, he could be bait. It would break Alice's heart, but I would do _anything_ to keep her alive. Charlie was going to the island, and that is where we were going. I swore we would make it home.

I could already see the tears gathering in the corners of Alice's eyes, and before she could get really worked up, I begrudgingly submitted.

"We'll call him Banjo." She said.

"What kind of name is Banjo?" Let's name the dog after an instrument.

"Well, we found him in the boonies." We both had a good laugh about that before I remembered where we were and what we were doing. What was I thinking? I had let my guard down. Mistakes like that get you killed. After another quick scan of the yard and the trees that surround it, I tried the front door.

Unsurprisingly, it was locked. I traded Alice my bat for her crowbar and broke the lock. This is the kind of thing I never would have pictured myself doing. Breaking and entering was now the least of my worries, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time I stole to survive.

Inside, the living room smelled musty and stale. That was a good sign. We made quick work of checking every room, closet, pantry, and cupboard for anything alive, dead, or edible. We were in luck. The house was empty.

I checked the damage to the door. Fortunately only the knob had been locked when I broke in, so I was able to use the deadbolt to lock it and keep it closed.

I found Alice in the kitchen, "Look what I found Banjo!" She exclaimed, showing a large, unopened bag of dog food inside of a plastic tote at the end of the counter to her new pet. "Do you think it's still good?"

"Give him some. If he eats it, then he'll probably be alright. We've eaten food past the expiration date. Just make sure it's not moldy or anything." A few of the cupboards are open, and I busy myself checking the rest while Alice finds a bowl and feeds Banjo.

When the cupboards turn up nothing, I check the pantry. It's starting to get dark, and it's hard to see. I have to reach into the shelves and feel along their surface. When my search proves fruitless, I return to Alice. She has unrolled our sleeping bags on the floor of the laundry room. Whenever possible, we sleep in a room with no windows. This just happens to be the only room with no windows. We each eat a package of dry ramen noodles from our meager supplies, then settle down for the night.

I wait until Alice falls asleep, and then move my sleeping bag in front of the door. Alice can't fall asleep without me close, and I can't fall asleep without a warning system. I'll be the first one to know if this door opens.

After what seems like hours, I fall into an uneasy sleep.

_I am in search of a dedicated beta for this story. Must be a grammar nazi, have a good set of "second look" eyes, love all things Twilight; and of course, must love zombies as much as I do._


	2. Chapter 2

_Bella_

_The warm September sun bathing my skin feels heavenly. Visiting Florida this week feels like fate. Summer renovations of our high school had taken a whole month and a half longer than planned. Good news for this (now extra-long) summer, though I am not looking forward to next year's dramatically shortened summer break._

_The elementary school was not similarly affected, and so Renee still had to work. It had taken a few weeks of extra chores, and even a power pointe presentation on the benefits of a vacation, to convince our mother and father to allow our beach side retreat. On one condition, we stay with our cousin. Mary Alice hadn't had a problem with it, and as she had concocted this whole plan, I went along with it._

_So now, here we were, slathered in sunblock on an unseasonably warm fall day. At the beach, apparently the last place Emmett wants to be._

"_C'mon, neither of you are ever going to get a tan anyway, so let's get those booties up off that blanket and head on home." Even Emmett knows of the dangers of our pale white skin. Emmett clapped his hands together, jumping to his feet and waving towards his beloved Jeep while attempting to usher us out of our little slice of heaven._

"_To do what, exactly? Sit on the couch and watch lame action movies from the 80's?" Mary Alice dragged her eyes away from the barely clad boys she'd been eyeing since the eye candy had arrived nearly fifteen minutes before. She subtly adjusted her bikini top and slid her sunglasses to the top of her head so she could properly glare at her cousin._

_Emmett rolled his eyes, "First off, you can never go wrong with Lethal Weapon. Secondly, anywhere I don't have to watch perverts creeping on my fifteen and sixteen-year-old cousins certainly sounds like heaven right now. I would rather watch golf on T.V."_

"_Party pooper." Alice grumbled, pulling her sundress back on before using Emmett to pull herself to a standing position, "You're like, nine foot ten and four hundred pounds. No one would even talk to us, let alone try to hurt us with you around."_

_The flabbergasted expression on our cousin's face brought on a round of giggles and I donned my own sundress, pointlessly beating sand out of my sandals. So I could put them back on, walk through the sand, and refill them of course._

"_I'm not four hundred pounds," he whined, "I don't look that big do I Belly?" When he looked at me with that pouty lip sticking out, big brown eyes all wide with false innocence, I couldn't help the snort that escaped._

"_Of course you're not four hundred pounds. You're just big boned." Emmett was four years older than me. Charlie and Renee had become his legal guardians after his parents' death. They adopted him, officially, when he was ten. My older cousin, brother, and best friend had abandoned me to move here shortly after he graduated high school. He couldn't get out of Forks fast enough._

_Back then, he'd been just a lanky kid on his way. In two years, he had become a personal trainer. He was no longer all elbows and knees, but had put on nearly forty pounds of muscle; I almost didn't recognize him coming off the plane. Good thing his smile and trademark left dimple remained the same._

_He shook his head at me, displaying his best dramatic betrayal expression, "Oh you are done for." As he grabbed me around the neck, I gave a very undignified squawk as he held me in place to tickle me with his free hand. Through a lifetime of practice, he knew all my weak spots._

_I laughed hard, until tears streamed down my cheeks. My whole body shook as I was wracked with the uncontrollable, obnoxious laughter that had earned me my nickname, Belly, for belly laughs. "Em, stop!" I gasped._

_I could feel his chest rumble through his own laughs._

"_Em, stop!" I could barely breathe. It felt like there was a heavy weight on my chest._

"_God Emmett, you stink." I tried to push his arm off of me, but instead of feeling flesh beneath my groping fingers, my hands tangled with fur._

"Eugh!" I groan sitting up, shoving the dog off me. For a moment, I am majorly disoriented. It's been so long since we lost Emmett, but I can still hear his laughter in my ears. I am struck with a homesickness so strong my mind reels. "I am not your pillow." I grouse, glaring at Banjo, who in turn, stares at the door. His chest gives another low rumble, and it is then that I realize he is growling. With good reason, it seems there is someone in the house.

My heart races as I crawl quickly and quietly to Alice, I slip a hand over her mouth and hurriedly shake her shoulder. Her eyes pop open and I motion for her to keep quiet. We arm ourselves, me with my pistol and bat, Alice had her crowbar. I'm pretty sure she sleeps with it. We remained silent, and I practically held my breath, straining my ears for any sound, Alice ducked down in a tiny space behind the washer, while I hid behind the door. Banjo plopped himself down in the middle of the room and we waited.

The last humans we encountered tried to eat us. I will not be taking any chances.

_Jasper_

"Nothing!" I bitch, slamming another empty cabinet door shut, "Not a fucking morsel!" It had been three days since we last ate. With my injury, I was getting weak. We had been fortunate to come across several wells, and though we did not want for water, we needed food fast. "Fuck!"

We had been awoken by the undead at a ridiculously early hour this morning, the sun hadn't even thought about rising. After killing the Zeds (okay, after I watched Edward kill the Zeds) we had packed up camp and moved on. We were already up right? This was the third house we'd searched, and it was only mid-morning.

Dragging myself into a standing position, I used my makeshift crutch to limp my way to my cousin. Edward was on the other side of the dining room, searching the pantry. The grim lines on his face gave me an answer to my unasked question.

"Let's check the bedrooms and move on." I grumbled.

"You stay here," Edward gave me that _no-nonsense-this-is-life-or-death_ expression I've become so accustomed to, "I'll check the bedrooms." Yeah, I can't really run, so this makes sense. It still wounds my ego. I survived the infection, and I'm on the mend; soon I'll be able to give Edward a much needed break.

Clutching his golf club tightly, Edward approached the first door he saw; just beyond the kitchen where he could still see me. "What's behind Door Number One?" He pushed the door inward, and a large figure stepped slowly out.

The massive Rottweiler growled furiously, his entire presence filling the tiny hallway room in which he was locked. "Holy shit!" Edward gasped. Lowering the golf club, he tried to relax his stance to seem like less of a threat.

Before he could say anything, a woman stepped from behind the door, a gun leveled directly at Edward's head. Her hand was steady.

"Ali, there's another one!" She called over her shoulder, and a spritely creature with beautiful big brown eyes and cropped brown hair followed the first out of the room. She crossed the kitchen and dining room to where I sat, brandishing a crowbar.

"Hand over your weapons and bag." The pixie demanded.

"No." Edward said calmly.

The chick with the gun narrowed her eyes at him, "No? Do you have a death wish?" She asked, waving the gun in his face, "Gives us your shit or I shoot you."

"Go ahead." Edward lifted his chin defiantly, "I'd rather eat a bullet than finish starving to death."

.

.

.

_I am still searching for a beta. Please pm if interested. If you enjoy this story, please review. I could really use the encouragement._


	3. Chapter 3

_Jasper_

The chick with the gun narrowed her eyes at Edward, waving her weapon in his face while threatening him. I could easily take Shortstuff here, regardless of my injury. She was a waif of a girl, and the crowbar in her hands shook almost imperceptibly. Nonetheless, there was no way I'd take down Pipsqueak, and get to the crazy gun wielding broad before she blew my cousin's brains out.

_Shit._

"Go ahead." Edward lifted his chin defiantly, "I'd rather eat a bullet than finish starving to death."

_Oh God. _I cannot live in this world alone, it's impossible to survive and stay sane by oneself in this world. Edward was the only thing grounding me, giving me hope, urging me onward. _Home._

Now it seems Edward will never make it home. _I hope they kill me too._

"Bella." The tiny thing in front of me mutters.

"What?!" The other girl snaps. She's agitated, shifting from foot to foot, and shoving stray hair out of her face repeatedly. It's as if she's about to come unhinged, though the gun remains steady and trained point blank on Edward's forehead.

For his part, Edward seems calm. His face is a mask of indifference. He has dropped his golf club, and holds his hands out at waist height, open and away from his body. Though he appears serene, his eyes betray him. The slight crinkling in the corners display his anger. He is not ready to die. _Don't do something stupid Edward!_

"Please." Tiny speaks again, "This doesn't feel right."

Gunny scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Another feeling Ali?"

"Yes." She gasps, exasperated. "You're not a killer Bella. Neither am I. Maybe they can help us get home. Survival is in the numbers right?"

_Bella_

I sigh, eyeing Edward as I slowly lower my gun. "Relax, it's not even loaded."

For a moment, time stands still. An unseen force builds around us, an electricity charging the air as Cow Licks processes this comment, then he explodes, "What the fuck?! You were threatening to kill me and you don't even have any bullets, what is wrong with you?" After a brief pause, he rakes his hands through his hair, making it stand on end as he continues to gripe to himself, "What is wrong with me? She's a buck ten tops, waving around an empty gun, and I'm about to piss my pants…"

I shrink back against the wall in the tiny slice of hallway we were sharing just fine with a gun between us. Now, this ranting and raving lunatic seems to fill every spare centimeter of the space, sucking the oxygen and light away. His proximity makes my head swim and my knees tremble.

"You think I'm gonna waste bullets on you when the walking dead want to chow on me and my sister? You _must _be insane. That empty gun sure as hell got your attention-."

"Guys?" Ali attempted.

ChiaPet rounded on me again, "My _attention_? Oh, you _have _my attention Missy-."

"Don't you dare call me Missy-!"

"SHUT UP!" We both stop, turning to stare agape at the little girl with blow horn lungs on the other side of the dining room. Once she was certain of our attention, Alice smiled angelically, "You are both being noisy as fuck and I, personally, would like to eat breakfast _before_ fighting off the undead hordes."

My heart thundered in my ribcage and my blood boiled beneath my skin. I gritted my teeth and took several deep breaths in an effort to calm myself. When my darling little sister had to be the reasonable one, I knew I needed to take a step back.

Really the situation was ridiculous. We were fighting over whether or not one should _lie_ to a person they are trying to _intimidate. _I just can't understand how he got me so riled up, so quickly, over something so inane.

So, like the overwhelmingly mature adult I am, I stomped past Bad Hair Day and Banjo, back into the laundry room to grab Alice's bag. Then I made my way back into the dining room, only to find Alice helping Blondie into a chair at the table.

"So, granola bars, powdered milk,-" The two men stared at the items I pulled from the bag, an uncomfortable ache in my chest reminded me that I am still capable of normal societal emotions. I am startled by the bout of sympathy. "-water, and freshly picked elderberries." The last item was a surprise for Alice. I'd spotted the newly ripened fruit while waiting for Ali to change. She'd had an unfortunate visit from Mother Nature, and we just could not wander around smelling like fresh blood. Just one of many sad truths women face after the end of the world. I picked as many as I could and stowed them away for today, I thought she might need cheering up.

She used to have fresh fruit with breakfast every morning.

Alice's eyes widened, "No way!" She gasped, leaning forward she snatched a berry out of my hand. Before she could put it in her mouth however, Blondie smacked the berry away.

"You can't know that's safe!" He shouted, looking horrified that Alice had almost poisoned herself.

I scoff, "You've never had elderberry wine? Or elderberry jams?"

He trains his cool blue eyes on me, "I know elderberries are edible, I meant, how are you certain _these_ are elderberries?"

Alice just smiled, "Daddy was an outdoorsman. He loved to hunt and live off the land. I hated that stuff, but he and Bella would go camping for a few weeks every summer. Like deep woods, nothing but a tarp camping. If she says it's safe, it is." This time, Alice was successful at popping a berry into her mouth, moaning as she bit into it. "That's really sweet!" She grinned at me, before glancing worriedly at our uninvited guests.

"Look," She said, "We're not dangerous. We won't hurt you if we don't have to. We just wanna get home. I propose we stick together until we've gathered enough supplies to go our separate ways. I'm Alice, this is my sister Bella. We're headed to Washington. The state, not the Capital."

I'm uncomfortable with the overshare, but that's the way Alice has always been. At least she slowed her speech enough for them to understand. Her usual mile-a-minute approach would give even me a headache, and I thought I should be immune to it by now.

I'm also uncomfortable sharing our food and hanging out with strangers. Protesting isn't worth my time or effort, however, Alice's _feelings_ had saved our lives hundreds of times over. I wasn't about to start betting against her. Plus, you just don't win an argument with Mary Alice Swan.

Also, Bad Hair Day is giving me the creeps, glaring at me from across the table. Of course, I _was_ just waving a gun in his face.

Alice pushed half the berries and a couple granola bars over the table. Blondie grabbed and tore a wrapper open, downing the whole bar in one bite. The other two occupants of the room and I stared at him astonished, unsurprised when he started choking. I wordlessly handed over a bottle of freshly mixed powdered milk, and after three gulps, he slowly regained his color. "Hungry." He muttered sheepishly, color flaring high in his cheeks.

Alice was the first to laugh, her high pitched giggle caused the smile to crack across my own face, as Bad Hair Day chuckled and Blondie had a good-humored laugh at his own expense. After a few minutes in which the group scarfed down their meager meal, Sonic the Hedgehog finally spoke, "I'm Edward, and this is my cousin Jasper. We're headed to Seattle. So we might as well stick together."

Banjo, who had chosen a spot right by the back door, lifted his head as a low growl reverberated through his chest. Immediately on alert, I rose quietly. Grabbing my bat from where I'd left it by the door to our temporary bedroom; I make my way over to a window catty-corner to where Banjo stood at attention. A quick peek confirmed my suspicions.

I return to the dining room where I find the occupants preparing to flee; checking weapons and inventorying bags.

"Looks like we don't have a choice. There are six or seven zombies about fifty yards from the house. Definitely heading straight for us. We've got to move."

"Did you check the front?" Edward blurted, staring at me again as I reload my gun. _Oh wait, it's the gun again._

Under his scrutiny, I'm embarrassed to admit I hadn't yet. He's already wearing his backpack and I'm still repacking mine in a hurry, so he takes care of it.

He returns with bad news. "There are several more zeds out front, too many to make a break for it. We'll have to go out the back. Now."

We rush to the back room and crack the door. The zeds are still a ways off; we have a very narrow window of time in which to get past them.

Edward goes first, forcing the uncooperative sliding door open far enough to squeeze through. Only he doesn't squeeze through. He falls, seven feet, to the solid packed earth below.

In our haste, we all failed to notice the lack of stairs; and with Jasper's twisted ankle, jumping is not an option.

_Please, please review. Signed reviews may just receive a response._


	4. Chapter 4

_This chapter goes out to my reveiwer from Missouri: queen cullen0527. Because I live in Columbia._

_Bella_

Edward goes first, forcing the old sliding door open far enough to squeeze through. Only he doesn't squeeze through. He falls to the solid packed earth below.

I completely missed the obvious construction signs, the wooden planks and tools near the back door I'd thought were for boarding up windows were probably meant for the back porch and stairs. The long shallow hill beyond starts several feet below the door, ending in trees a few hundred yards away; with a road to our left and farmland to the right. _That's a sorry looking crop of corn._ Mostly knee high, in some places the stalks would be well over my head. Definitely not safe, and neither are the trees, honestly.

The sound of Edward's landing and following involuntary groans attracted the attention of our not-so-friendly neighbors.

_Shit._

I turn quickly to my sister and Jasper, a plan already on my tongue. Before I can get the first word out, Banjo shoves past me and leaps out the door. _Huh, guess Edward makes a good landing pad_. After sniffing the winded man and giving him a lick across his face, Banjo takes off straight for the zombies.

He races over to a blonde woman in a bathrobe and barks, baiting her into following him. Running in circles he captures the attention of the other three, _herding_ the zombies away.

For the second time in as many days, I am absolutely flabbergasted by this dog.

"_Banjo!"_ Alice gasps, her heart already breaking over an animal we've known very briefly.

I grab her chin, forcing her to look at me. "Focus," I whisper harshly, "You, then Jasper, then me. Okay? You'll hang on to me and Edward will help you jump the rest of the way. It's not that far. Just caught us by surprise, but we've got to move." My words are punctuated by the creaks and thumps of several pairs of feet on the front porch. "Now."

I push her back to the opening, bracing one foot on the wall, and one on the door, I grip Alice's hands as she leans backwards out the door. Then she jumps, and Jasper grasps me around the waist to steady us. When Alice stops swinging, I release her.

Pausing only briefly to check the she made it, I turn to speak to the man whose arms still encase me.

"No." He says calmly, ice blue eyes met mine with a stubbornness I recognized in myself, "You first. I'm too heavy for you. That bat would be useless with a dislocated shoulder. I can lower myself, and my ankle will have a much softer landing with three of you cushioning my fall."

The moans out front grow louder as the zeds outside begin bashing the doors and windows. Most are boarded up, but I would not trust the lock on the front door.

_Fuck._

I quit arguing, grab his hands, and drop down. The world spins briefly, before I hear the crash of splintering wood and the tinkling of shattering glass. Jasper suddenly releases my hands. The sounds of the living dead inside the house become a dull roar, the strange raspy groans and shuffling thumps sound just as terrifying as the first time I heard those sounds.

_Double fuck._

My feet hit the ground, and my ankles protest. I bite back my yelp of pain and immediately crane my neck. Alice is handing me my bat, automatically assuming her position at my back.

I expect to see Jasper's feet. He has already thrown his bag out, but he has not made an appearance.

Edward's face is tense. He alternates between staring anxiously at the house and scanning the direction Banjo and his new zed friends have gone. There is a loud whine, and with an angry shriek, the sliding glass door shuts. "What the fuck Jazz?" Edward groans.

Standing behind this sort-of house, with a long open field in front of us left me feeling very exposed. I do not like this at all.

On the other hand, with no sight of Banjo or Jasper, I knew neither of my companions would be easily persuaded to move. I decide to give our acquaintances a few minutes to appear. With the obvious exception of a zombie, we can afford some time to catch our breath.

We just have to avoid attracting the attention of the zombies _inside_ the house. I motion Alice and Edward over to a group of trees on the right side of the house, we crouch down amongst the bushes at the base of the trees, where we are mostly hidden from view, and wait.

Alice's sharp intake of breath alarms me, and I turn. For the first time in what feels like millennia, Alice doesn't turn with me to watch my back.

"Jasper!" She cries as the man in question comes limping swiftly around the back of the house.

"What the hell Jazz?" Edward grumbles, mock glaring at his cousin, though the obvious relief in his voice gives him away. It's evident they depend on each other, like me and Ali.

Alice takes the cake though, punching Jasper in the arm, "Don't _ever_ do that again. I was terrified for you! How did you get out?"

Jasper collapses into a sitting position; he is noticeably out of breath and needs a few minutes to rest. I hand him a water bottle and then keep watch with Edward. Alice sits next to him, she offers to rewrap the bandage on Jasper's ankle, but he is very defensive of the wound, adamantly insisting its fine. Alice drops the subject, but I can't shake my suspicions.

After a few minutes, we head through the corn, avoiding areas where it's taller than knee high. We make our way back to the road and pick a direction at random as Jasper shares his story.

After the dead broke in, he realized they would just follow him out the open back door. He slammed the door shut and was able to barricade himself into the master bedroom.

"I knocked over the dresser." He explained, "It was huge and fucking heavy, I pushed it at an angle on the ground right up to the door so it was wedged against the wall. I was able to get out the window and limp my happy ass after you."

* * *

Only a few miles between us and that death trap home and we were moving at an almost leisurely speed; the hurried pace we set after the house had worn us out. While we weren't ready to stop moving, we had slowed down. A lot.

While circumventing major roads and towns was great for avoiding the undead, it was not easy to scavenge anything. Most places had been looted already, and what food was left had usually expired. We weren't ashamed to eat expired goods, so long as it looked fine. _Never_ open a can that looks swollen.

Once in a while, we got lucky. Today was one of those days.

First, we all made it out of that house alive. Then, when we found a home that hadn't been looted, with a full and untouched pantry, Alice called it fate. I called it doom.

We just could not have a day this close to perfect.

As a general rule of thumb, we stay in the most inaccessible part of a house. This house happened to have an attic with retractable stairs. Perfect.

The boys were fine with our usual plan, and we agreed to prepare to stay here for a few days. Alice desperately needed a break, and Jasper's foot wouldn't get any better walking on it non-stop. We set about blocking all the exits, locking windows and doors. Covering as many windows as we could. Edward and I were able to move a couple of twin mattresses up to the attic, and Alice moved most of the food up into our hidey-hole.

At night, we'd be able to pull up the stairs and sleep comfortably without the fear of something creeping in. By storing food and water, we would be able to stay up here for days in a pinch.

Still, as we went to bed that night, with blissfully full bellies on sort-of comfortable beds, I couldn't shake my unease.

* * *

_Mary Alice and I are "home alone" today. It's Tuesday September 13, 2005. Emmett always visits the home on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. He's very devoted to his grandma. Mary Louise Vega-McCarty is Em's only living relative on his dad's side. When she was diagnosed with Parkinson's he was devastated. He moved to Florida to help take care of her when she could no longer live on her own. She was the reason he'd gotten into his line of work._

_My sister and I haven't minded the reprieve from his antics the past week, but the news lately has been terrifying. Over just the past few weeks, an unknown and highly contagious pneumonic virus has decimated populations all over the world._

_Death tolls were said to be as high as 80% of the population in some areas. All international travel had been halted a week ago, followed almost immediately by interstate travel the day before our flight home. We were now stranded with our cousin and would not be going home any time soon._

_Ali and I are glued to the couch; all the windows and doors are locked. So far, the community we are staying in has been left untouched. The relatively small town remains unaffected by the illness, and by the looting that follows. With all the lights off, windows and doors locked, we are about as safe as we could be._

_The news flashes images of different southwestern cities, all in various states of anarchy. Phoenix, Sacramento, Albuquerque… The footage of burning buildings, wrecked cars, and abandoned pets continues on and on. The scariest images of all are the grainy, blurry cell phone shots of what appears to be people eating people, blood and organs staining the streets._

_Needless to say, we would feel much safer if Emmett was home._

_The emergency broadcast we are watching hasn't changed in hours, the same newscaster and video roll over and over again. My instincts tell me this is not a good sign._

_Suddenly, the power goes out, and ice water runs through my veins as darkness surrounds us._

_The sudden quiet of the now dead TV is deafening. My racing heart and Mary Alice's sharp breaths are the only sounds I hear. It's pitch black in the living room, I did not notice how late it had gotten._

_Where the hell is Emmett?_

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Please, please, pretty, pretty, please review!


	5. Chapter 5

It goes without saying, as I post this on a _fanfiction_ website, that I do not own any recognizable characters, plots, or locations.

* * *

_Bella_

I awake with an urgent need to pee.

The attic is stuffy and humid. I have no idea how I slept so late, scrunched onto that twin mattress with my younger sister. How someone so small could take up so much space baffles me.

I untangle myself from Alice's wayward limbs and quickly dress. I briefly contemplate the bucket in the corner, stowed there in case of emergency, and quickly change my mind. Not unless I _have _to. I descend the ladder to the house, before pushing it back up, gathering my trusty bat from its place against the hallway wall, I cautiously creep downstairs.

I don't hear or _smell_ anything foul in my brief perusal of the downstairs before I hurry out the back door, over the short expanse of porch, and down the stairs. My foot makes contact with something soft instead of a stair and I promptly face plant.

As I gather my bearings and spit dirt from my mouth, I hear boisterous laughter. I am winded, my eyes are watering, my pride is aching, and someone is _laughing_ at me. My face flames, and I am surely the color of a tomato. Drawing my knees up to examine them for scrapes, I groan as I'm reminded of my bursting bladder, momentarily distracted from my embarrassment.

A shadow falls over my legs as a large, wet, slimy tongue slathers my face. I shove the beast away and give him my most menacing glare. Banjo, the occupant of the stair I had tried to walk on. "I don't know where you went, but don't think I missed you." I can't help but pet him as he nudges my hand with his head. I roll my eyes, "Alice will be happy to see you though."

"Smart dog." I'm startled by the voice, and look up. Right into Edward's brilliant green eyes. He's towering over me, but the midmorning sun catches him full in the face, lighting his eyes and defining his features. He is stunning.

"He led those zombies away, lost them, and tracked us here." I'm gaping at him, dumbfounded, and it's a very long moment before I notice the hand he's offering me.

"Uh yeah." I mutter, taking his hand and allowing him to pull me to my feet. The sudden movement reminds me of a rather urgent matter. "I have to pee!" I blurt, my face flaming again and I mentally smack myself.

_Way to go spaz._

He grins, bemused, before offering to stand guard while I take care of my business. Ordinarily, I wouldn't trust a near stranger, but I really had to go. Alice could still be asleep for hours, she sleeps like the dead. Consider the alternative, death by ankle-biter Barbie while I squat in the woods? No, not my idea of fun.

I choose a group of trees a bit of a distance from the house because they grow on the side of a hill. It's much easier to pee without getting my socks wet.

I peek over my shoulder to make sure Edward isn't watching, before I pull down my pants and take care of business. I can't let anyone see the scars. A few awkward minutes later, Edward and I head back to the house. Banjo has dutifully stayed on the porch, as if he was guarding the occupants of the house. _Or waiting for Alice_, I thought, amused.

Even from outside, I could hear the arguing. Edward and I exchange glances and share a non-verbal agreement to tackle our respective partners, before we head back inside. Banjo followed us in and went right to Ali. He worked as the perfect distraction, Alice was overjoyed to see him and spent the next several minutes on the floor rubbing his belly and playing with him.

She and Jasper studiously ignore each other.

While we wash the camp gear after breakfast, and the boys hunt for fresh water, I bug Alice, but she won't breathe a word on the subject of their argument. Edward and Jasper had better luck on their mission than I did, having found a well about a mile away. They'd used a wagon to haul back several gallons.

I asked Edward later, but Jasper wouldn't talk either.

I had hated Renee's reality TV shows, and the gossip at the grocery store. I had detested the petty high school drama my classmates engaged in. Now, my first opportunity in years for gossip, squashed. I found myself surprisingly disappointed.

The next few days were much the same. Alice and Jasper spoke to each other in clipped sentences, avoiding each other as best they could. We spent our time cooking, eating, gathering supplies from neighboring houses, cleaning, eating some more... On and on, until days turned into weeks and possibly July turned into possibly August.

One night over dinner, in the middle of a conversation of what we missed most about the Before, Edward and I had answered simultaneously, _music_; Jasper met Alice's eyes across the table.

"We need to move on." He said firmly, "We need to get a vehicle big enough for all of us and some supplies, but small enough to not be a target. We need to leave, soon, or we won't make any more progress before winter." He looked at Edward, his eyes begging his cousin to understand, "I need to know what happened to mom and dad. Sooner we get to Seattle… We can do this, the four of us. But we can't keep putting it off." This last comment was directed to Alice, who glared at him, her trademark pout adorning her adorable elfin features, "I've taken a look at Bella's maps. We're close to Columbia, and I know the town pretty well. I'm certain we can find everything we need."

Alice's eyes glittered with tears, her frustration always made her cry, and her tears always got her what she wanted. "Towns much smaller than Columbia are total death traps. Large population Before, large population of undead After."

"The infection started on the east coast, Columbia was evacuated and the population was funneled into various refugee camps." Jasper countered, "The place is probably a ghost town."

_Refugee camp_, I shuddered remembering our time in one. It hadn't been long before the infection spread inside. People weren't prepared for the carnage, so many died in those first few weeks.

"You can't be the first person to have thought of that Jasper." Alice argued, "We just can't risk it!"

I watched closely as Jasper turned to Edward again, imploring him to join the argument. Edward groaned before rubbing his hands over his face. "Jasper can do it. He's quick, and lucky, and he has a secret weapon."

Well I have a secret weapon of my own, "If he's going, then so am I."

I barely heard Alice's outraged gasp, suddenly caught suspended in time when Edward's eyes captured mine. I tore my eyes away, and it took all my will power to focus on the subject and not the fleeting expression of horror I'd seen in their depths, and grasped Ali's hands across the table, "Have I ever let you down? We'll watch out for each other, right Jazz?" He nodded solemnly.

"Besides, you're out numbered, three to one." Edward chimed in helpfully. My sister huffed irritably, scooting her chair back. The screech of metal on linoleum made me cringe as she yanked her hands from mine, stomping upstairs and into the room she'd claimed after we blocked off the first floor.

"That went well." I rolled my eyes at Edward's comment and followed my sisters example, heading off to bed.

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_Hmmm, slightly shorter than usual. There was supposed to be another dream/memory here, but the chapter became way too long. Perhaps some feedback of this chapter will motivate me to finish quickly. Go ahead, you know you wanna. Review please._


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks to __**ginkgo00**__ for an excellent question regarding elderberries. Yes, large amounts of raw elderberries can cause some rather unpleasant digestive upset. The key is moderation. As this Bella learned to forage with Charlie, and she had no way of preserving or refrigerating the berries, we're going to assume she gathered only enough for her and Alice. This amount is then divided four ways, so it's probably safe to assume no one ate too many. I hadn't even thought of this, and had to do some research._

_This chapter just did not want to write itself. I was certainly lacking motivation._

_Alice_

Bella and Jasper had been gone a week already. If we were lucky, they'd find a vehicle and plenty of supplies to get us all home. I've definitely had enough walking to last me a lifetime. With our food situation, I don't really need the extra exercise. I'd been slim before, but I'm much closer to skeletal now. It's kind of gross. What I wouldn't give for a chocolate shake to cool me off right now. Missouri is humid, miserable.

_Mmmmmmph, shiiik thump_

I tell myself to take a deep breath, inhaling through my mouth slowly and silently. I definitely don't want to smell the zed on the other side of the kitchen. Edward and I were searching homes near the farm house, we'd thought this particular house was empty.

Until I mistakenly opened the cellar door thinking it was a pantry. Just my luck Edward was on the second floor.

I tighten my grip on my crowbar, mentally debating my chances if I made a run for it. What would Bella do? _She'd jump out from behind the kitchen island and bash its brains in, coward._ I mentally scoff at myself. Bella has always been there for me, always looked out for me. She had rarely left my side since our ill-fated trip to Florida. I've never had to kill a zombie before. I was just the look out, Bella kept us out of dangerous situations, and when she couldn't, she always got us out of trouble.

First time she leaves for more than a day, my first chance to prove I can take care of myself, and I'm stuck in a corner, crouching behind a cabinet while a single member of the undead masses stumbles around completely ignorant to my existence.

Despite all the lessons and practice Bella had forced upon me, I still couldn't summon the courage to kill it.

It was a _person_ once.

I was right, I am a coward.

_Mmmmmmph, shiiik thump shiiik thump thump_

A sudden and loud whack followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor startles me. A couple loud blows later, Edward appears around the corner of the cabinet. He is spattered in old blood, and his golf club is dripping. I stare, unable to tear my eyes away from the black sludge slowly staining the wood beneath his feet.

"What the fuck?!" He shouts, glaring at me.

"I f-froze?" My stammer makes the sentence sounds like a question and not a statement. I duck my head in embarrassment.

"No shit." He grumbles, checking a few cupboards I obviously hadn't covered yet. "Find anything?"

I shake my head quickly, mumbling my response. "Some herbs and seasonings. Bella will love that. Nothing else really."

Edward just shrugs noncommittally. "We should get moving then. It's almost dark."

Dejected, both from my recent failure as a zombie hunter, and the slim pickings of this particular rural area. We start heading back the base, as Bella had called it. The trek would take a while, we'd wandered further every day.

Outside, it was gloomier than I thought it would be. My cowardice had cost us precious time. Edward and I exchanged a glance; by unspoken agreement, we set off into the early twilight at a jog.

It isn't long before we begin to hear the telltale sounds of pursuit. It's pitch black outside, thanks to a new moon, and we can barely see by the light of the stars. I press a hand into the stitch in my side and force myself to put one foot in front of the other. _We're faster than they are. Keep up the pace until we get to safety._ I have heard it a thousand times in the past few years, and I know better than to waste breath on conversation. We don't talk, we just run.

We finally reach the farmhouse and race up the stairs, over the porch, and through the front door without pause. Edward stops only briefly to bolt the door before following me up to the attic stairs.

I am way too short to reach the little metal latch in the closet of the master bedroom, so I stay out of the way as Edward pulls the fold up stairs down. We rush into the attic, pulling the stairs up behind us. I collapse on one of the mattresses, gasping for air, tears of exertion stream down my face. My heart thunders, and my legs quiver with the remnants of adrenaline. I gulp, trying to stem the flood of emotion before the tears become outright sobs.

I think of Banjo only briefly as glass shatters downstairs and moans echo up to hallways. The dead are inside the house, but Banjo will stay away. He's a smart dog, and he looks after himself. He proven himself over the past week, I know worrying about him is pointless.

Instead, my mind refuses to allow me rest as my thoughts turn to Bella… and the handsome blond she's traveling with.

_Bella_

I shut and lock the door behind me as Jasper puts out the lanterns. It's time to head to bed. Tomorrow, we will be heading back to base to pick up Edward and Alice, then we are home free.

Well, sort of. As home free as the thousands of miles between us and Washington and the dozens of things that could go wrong along the way as someone can be after the end of the world.

I mentally run over the contents of the cars in my head. We'd located two hatchbacks with plenty of storage space and loaded them both down with gas cans, batteries, food, and _toilet paper._ We would not be going without that particular luxury for a long while. The cars were gassed up and ready to go, parked in the garage of the townhome we were squatting in for the night. I observed Jasper as he looked through some of today's spoils. Sorting through the food and water, his eyes widen at my favorite score, a ten man tent; lots of room for on the run sleeping.

The suburbs in and around the northeast side of Columbia had been good to us. The city was mostly deserted, with only a few stray walkers. It must've been evacuated before shit went down. I took a moment to reflect on the poor souls who had, undoubtedly, been shepherded to their doom in a refugee camp. Alice and I had almost been lured into one. The virus made it inside before we did, we barely made it out alive.

Before Jasper could put out the last lamp, we heard a quiet, but deliberate, knock on the window.

_Not sure I'm entirely happy with this one… I had to stop it here because I couldn't break up the action. This chapter would have been way too long. Fun stuff next time, promise._


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